Warm and Dry
by Kalira69
Summary: Hinata and her scouting team press on to the wartime outpost to give their reports - and finally get dry again - and she is reunited with Neji as an unexpected bonus. (Written for NejiHina Week, Day 3)


Written for one of the extra prompts of NejiHina Week: Rain

* * *

Hinata absently wrung some of the water out of her hair as she tucked herself closer to the trunk of the tree beneath which she was sheltering. And took a moment to be thankful they were back in the Land of Fire, with its towering trees and their thick branches.

The scrubby trees in the Land of Lightning had been . . . strange and discomfiting, and _certainly_ less than no help in sheltering from poor weather.

Her eyes strayed to Kiba and Akamaru and she winced as they began to shake wildly, slipping around the tree trunk to block the flying water. Shino wasn't quite so lucky, getting doused all over again. He bowed his head, his messy hair plastered mostly flat, and pulled off his sunglasses to attempt drying them, but everything he wore was sodden.

"Shino." Hinata called, and he moved to her side quickly. "Here." She offered up a scrap of dry fabric from her pouch - what was left of her now-ruined spare shirt.

"Thank you." Shino replied softly as he slid the dry lenses back into place, shielding his warm brown eyes.

Hinata smiled and tucked the scrap away again. "We're nearly to the central outpost; I'd vote for pushing on and making it tonight, but what do you think?" she asked her teammates. The information from their latest scouting foray wasn't _urgent_ , just important, but it would be nice to be back with fellow Konoha nin - and the outpost would offer more shelter than they had with them or could create on their own.

"It's your call, boss." Kiba said, ruffling his hair with a clawed hand. "We're up for it if you want." Akamaru barked at his side.

Hinata turned to Shino, raising her eyebrows.

Shino nodded, even as he sank further behind his high collar. "I would be willing to push harder to reach our comrades; why? Because I would appreciate sleeping somewhere dry tonight."

Hinata hummed agreement. "Let's go, then." she ordered lightly. She glanced up through the branches with a resigned sigh, let her still wet hair fall down her back, and stepped out from under the tree's shelter.

In a moment they were all up in the branches and running, the heavy rain stinging them at such a quick pace. It was a particularly unenjoyable way to travel, but at least they were back in familiar territory - and it was much less unpleasant than the same heavy, driving rain had been when all they had were scrubby brush trees for shelter, and the knowledge they must be swift and silent or risk drawing enemy attention.

It was well into the night before they reached the outpost, but none of them were too worn by the long run, and it was a _glorious_ relief to have dry tents to retreat to and hot food readied for them. Hinata sent her teammates off to get dry and clean and eat first thing, but went to the jounin in charge to give their preliminary report herself.

Shikaku listened patiently, then cut her off before she could offer to expand upon it, taking the scrolls they had brought and sending her off to rest. Hinata smiled in thanks and made herself scarce; she'd known she wasn't bringing anything immediately pressing but she would have remained to go over the full details if he felt it necessary.

It was a relief to know she could relax a little, though, and Hinata found herself shuffled along with some other scouts into the small mess tent, a hot bowl pressed into her hands as soon as she was seated. After she had eaten and mostly dried out she was told that her teammates had already been sent off to sleep, and shown to an empty two-man tent herself.

She got wet again in the process, of course, and she wrinkled her nose as she stripped off her heavy, sodden jacket. Her shirt and mesh armour were mostly dry beneath it, at least, and she left them on as she hung the jacket to dry and lay her pouches aside, though she shed her sandals and hitai-ate. She shivered, but ignored the chill in the air as she worked to set up her bedroll comfortably. The rain was still pouring down outside, but the sound of it through the leaves and even onto the canvas was familiar and not unwelcome - not from inside the shelter of the tent, at least.

"You're back."

Hinata looked up, then rose so hurriedly she almost kicked aside the edge of the bedroll as she turned to face Neji, a smile spreading across her face. "We're back." she confirmed with a bob of her head, watching him through her lashes.

Neji took a step closer into the tent, then paused just as he began to raise his arms to her.

Hinata covered the rest of the distance and pressed herself against him, arms looping around his ribs easily, ignoring the rain dripping off him. Neji made a startled sound, then hummed low in his throat, sounding pleased, as he retuned the embrace.

A loose lock of his hair fell down and clung to Hinata's cheek as it made contact, and she shivered at the chill of it, but didn't pull away. Neji rubbed her back with one hand, the caress hitching a bit as his damp skin caught on her shirt.

"Hello." Hinata said into his shoulder, and Neji squeezed her tighter, laughing wryly.

He drew back a moment later, meeting her eyes with a searching look and smoothing his thumbs over her cheeks. "I worried for you, away behind enemy lines." he admitted in a low voice.

"I worried for you, knowing you were on the front lines." Hinata replied, reaching up and caressing his cheek. Neji smiled slightly, winding a lock of her hair between his fingers. "When did you return?" she asked, tilting her head towards his hand without quite meaning to do so.

"About half an hour ago." Neji said, and Hinata blinked. "Our reports were delivered and then they told us your team had come in today. . ."

Hinata leaned up and kissed him firmly, stroking his jaw as he relaxed and responded with pleased warmth. She wrapped her other arm a little more snugly around his waist, fingers curling into the rain-soaked fabric of his shirt.

Neji nuzzled her face as he pulled away, though he didn't go far. Hinata leaned into him, feeling her shirt slowly growing wetter from the contact with his but not quite caring - far more focused on the warm and steady feel of him against her.

"Are you staying here with me?" Hinata asked, tipping her head towards the back of the tent and the bedroll she'd been laying out near the centre.

Neji nodded slightly, and she smiled. "Good." She sighed, then withdrew from his embrace, stepping back.

Neji released her only reluctantly, his fingers trailing the length of her hair before turning it loose. She reached up and tugged at his shirt. "Get your wet things off while I finish." she instructed, gesturing at the bedroll.

Neji frowned, but nodded agreement, stepping away to do as she bid. Hinata efficiently unpacked the second bedroll which had been stowed away in the tent and rearranged the bedding to combine them, then rose to shed her own wet clothing. She couldn't help but make a face as she peeled away the now damp clingy mesh armour.

Neji's fingers slipped beneath her own, and Hinata shivered and dropped her hands, letting him help her strip it away. It went much faster with his assistance, soon loose and pooling on the ground around her feet, and she stepped lightly out of it.

Neji's hands were warm as they slid up her thighs on the way back up, over her hips and waist with a gentle squeeze, then forwards to cross her belly, pulling her back against his body as they smoothed up her chest and cupped her breasts. Hinata shivered at the touch, pressing herself closer in against him - his skin was clammy and cool from his rain-soaked clothes, but warming up - and covering his hands with hers, pressing them closer as well.

Neji moaned softly, thumbs stroking lightly and body pressing just a fraction more firmly into hers, then bowed his head to kiss her shoulder. "I could wish I were not so weary." he murmured.

Hinata sighed, turning her head to lean it against his. "I, too." she admitted. She _could_ have rallied, dredged up the energy from somewhere, but. . .

Neji dropped his hands and simply hugged her close. Hinata let her hands rest on his wrists, closing her eyes and snuggling into his embrace. She stroked lightly up and down his forearms, content, but gave him a gentle nudge and squeezed his wrists when he began to waver slightly on his feet.

Neji hummed softly and Hinata patted his hand, taking a step and tugging him into movement. He wavered for a moment more, then steadied, moving to his pack as Hinata collected her armour from the ground to drape over the low table and hopefully dry out once more before she needed to put it back on.

Neji muttered darkly into his pack, leaving a few wet items scattered across the table himself, then finally rose to pull on a dry pair of pants and offered her his spare shirt. Hinata smiled as she wrapped herself up into it, smelling the familiar scent of her own bruise balm and a metallic tang probably from the spare set of kunai he carried in his pack.

Neji caught her arm and pulled her close, leaning up to kiss her brow before letting her slip into the combined bedroll. Neji followed suit and settled close beside her, groaning as he stretched out hard enough to make his muscles tremble with tension, then flexed his shoulders and relaxed.

Hinata sighed, consciously tensing and relaxing every muscle on her way up from her toes, and feeling languid and a bit tingly when she finished. She turned her head and hummed fondly; Neji had already fallen asleep, his head tilted towards her.

The rain continued to fall, steady and loud, cutting them off from any sound of the rest of the camp around them until they could have been the only two people in the world. Hinata smoothed a hand over Neji's side - he mumbled sleepily under the caress but didn't rouse, and she smiled - and tucked herself more closely against his warmth before closing her eyes.


End file.
